The following article is a respond to one of Zi Hao Li’s brilliant blogs.

While reading Leo’s blog, I feel both sorry for the Microsoft and ridiculed by their horrible marketing strategy. When competing with such established and well-accepted competitor iPad, what Microsoft really need to do is to think of the unique features and advantages that only the Surface has.

Personally, I have been hesitating to buy a surface even though I already have an iPad. So why would I buy a surface when iPad is so good and popular that it becomes the synonym for any electronic tablet? What are the advantages owned by the Surface that the iPad does not share? First, for a university student, the Surface is better since it is compatible with PC softwares.  Excel is the best friend for any students studying in commerce. I would like to buy a Surface so that I do not have to carry my heavy laptop every time I go to Comm 290. Also, for engineering students, there are several engineering program that has no iOS version. Second, typing is so much easier on the Surface. When you try to type something on an iPad, a keyboard would pop out and take over the half of your typing window. In this way, I cannot see what I wrote earlier on that page, soI find it really interrupts the flow of my article when I try to write something with my iPad. However, Microsoft Surface has an attached, computer-like keyboard that is easy to use for tackling a writing task.

When you look at the advantages, it is not easy to come up with a proper marketing strategy that maximize the advantages of the Surface over iPad. Instead of spending money to cooperate with NFL, Microsoft should cooperate with universities or companies where tablets are valued for their ability to handle words-related problem. No doubt that when a football game is played, the coach would use the attached keyboard, and so this feature cannot be manifested and the “naked” Surface would look like an iPad. Microsoft can consider cooperating with universities to provide student rent or free Surfaces. For example, for a computer-related class, they could place surfaces beforehand at the front for walk-in student to use. In this way, the students would grow a “habit” about using the Surface and buy it for their own. Also, group effect in university is also important for marketing. I personally want to buy a Surface because I saw what my friend did with it in one of my comm 290 class.

In summary, it is crucial for any company to understand its advantages over its competitor before marketing.